Coupling for hay rakes and loaders.



W. R. EVERITT. COUPLING FOR HAY RAKES AND LOADERS.

APPLIOATION FILED FEB.14, 1910.

Patented Oct. 18, 1910.

WILLIAM R. EVERITT, OF MUSCATINE, IOWA.

COUPLING FOR HAY RAKES AND LOADERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Got. 18, 1910.

Application filed February 14, 1910. Serial No. 543,854.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM It. EVERITT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Muscatine, in the county of Muscatine and State of Iowa,have invented a certain new and useful Coupler for Hay Rakes andLoaders, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to that class of conplers intended to be used forconnecting a hay rake and loader with a wagon containing a hay rackwhich coupler may be uncoupled by means of a rope supported from theupper end of the hay rake and loader so that the operator need not gobetween the hay rake and loader and the wagon in order to uncouple.

My object is to provide a device of this kind of simple, durable andinexpensive construction so arranged that the part to be attached to thewagon may be permanently secured in position and the part attached tothe hay rake and loader may be readily and quickly adjusted to project agreater or less distance in front of a hay rake and loader so that therod for use in uncoupling may extend from the coupler upwardly to thetop of the hay rake and loader frame to a position where it will not beengaged by the rear end of a hay rack on the wagon, it being understoodthat hay racks vary considerably in the amount they extend rear wardlybeyond the rear axle of the wagon.

My invention consists in certain details, in the construction,arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device wherebythe objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully setforth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a top or plan view of the rear axle of a wagon with myimproved coupling device applied thereto and the rear end thereof beingbroken away, and Fig. 2 shows a detail, sectional view of the axle withmy improved device applied thereto, the rear portion of the couplerbeing shown partly in section to illustrate the details of construction.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, I have used the referencenumeral 10 to indicate the rear axle of a wagon and 11 the supportingwheels thereon.

The part of my improved coupler that is designed to be attached to thewagon comprises a substantially oblong loop made of metal rod andindicated by the numeral 12. A cross piece 13 is extended under thecentral portion of the loop 12. Two substantially U-shaped bolts 14: arepivoted at one end to the forward portion of the rod 12 and are extendedthrough the cross piece 13, and a nut 15 is applied to the lower end ofeach of said bolts. The device is permanently applied to the rear axleof a wagon by first extending the U -shaped bolts around the axle thenthrough the cross piece 13 and then firmly fixing the nuts 15 inposition. This will hold the rod 12 in a substantially hori zontalposition firmly fixed to the wagon axle.

The part of my coupler that is attached to the hay rake and loadercomprises a flat topped bar 16 fixed to the hay rake and loader andextended straight forwardly therefrom. In this top is a series of roundopenings 17. Slidingly mounted on top of the bar 16 is a block 18 havingat its rear end a detachable pin 19 designed to enter the openings 17 Atits central portion is a metal loop 20 fixed to the block 18 andextended downwardly along the sides and under the bottom of the bar 16to thereby prevent vertical movement of the block 18 rela tive to thebar 16 but so arranged that the block 18 may freely slide longitudinallyon the bar '16. In the forward end of the block 18 is a horizontallyarranged slot 21 designed to receive the rear portion of the rod 12 and.pivoted in the block 18 above the slot is a coupling jaw 22 pivoted atits forward end and having its rear end designed to rest on the forwardportion of the block 18 below the slot 21, and in front of the adjacentportion of the rod 12. Fixed to the coupling jaw 22 near its rear end isa rope 23 extended upwardly through an eyelet 2-1 which eyelet ismounted in the upper por tion of the main frame 25 of the hay rake andloader. Obviously by pulling upwardly upon this rope the rear end of thecoupling jaw is moved upwardly which will release it from the rod 12,whereupon the wagon may be moved forwardly away from the hay rake andloader.

In practical use, it is to be understood that ordinarily a number ofwagons with hay rakes thereon are used in connection with a single hayrake and loader and it also frequently happens that a number of thesewagons have hay racks that project different distances beyond the rearaxle. However in ing interfered with by the hay rack. It is obvious thatthe entire device may be constructed at a minimum of expense and at thesame time will efiiciently carry out the purpose for which it isintended.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a coupler of the class described, the combination of a couplermember designed to be attached to a wagon and having a rod in the rearof the wagon extending sub- "stantially parallel with the wagon axle, a

coupler member designed to be attached to a hay rake and loader or thelike comprising a bar extended forwardly and having a flat top providedwith a series of vertically arranged openings, a block slidingly mountedthereon, a loop fixed to the block and ex tended around the sides andunderneath the said bar, a pin detachably mounted in the rear of theblock to enter said openings in the bar, the forward end of the blockbeing provided with a slot to receive the coupler member on the wagonand a coupling jaw mounted in the block above the slot, for the purposesstated.

2. A device of the class described, comprising a coupler member designedto be connected to a wagon axle and comprising a rod formed in asubstantially oblong shape, a cross piece at the center of said rod, twosubstantially U-shaped bolts pivoted to v the forward port-ion of therod and designed to encircle the top and sides of a vehicle axle andhaving their rear ends designed to extend through said cross piece, nutsapplied to said rear ends beneath the cross piece, a coupler memberdesigned to be attached to a hay rake and loader or the like comprisinga fiat topped bar having openings in its top, a block slidingly mountedthereon, a loop fixed to the sides of the block and extended downwardlyalong the sides of the bar and across the bottom of it, a pin detachablymounted in the rear of the block to enter the openings in the bar, theforward end of the block being designed with a slot to receive thecoupling member on the wagon, a pivoted coupling jaw mounted in theblock above the slot, a rope attached to the rear end of the pivoted jawand an elevated support for said rope, substantially as, and for thepurposes stated.

Des Moines, Iowa, Feb. 3, 1910.

WVILLIAM R. EVERITT.

Witnesses:

POWELL D. Sownns, ORVAL E. MoNenRsoN.

